In 2021, deaths involving prescription opioids were up nearly 5x from the death rate in 1999.

Heroin involved death rates have decreased substantially in recent years, but the 2022 death rate is still nearly 3x higher than the 2010 rate

Much of the recent spike in synthetic opioid deaths can be attributed to fentanyl contamination

Fentanyl is nearly 50 times more potent than heroin and is often mixed with drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and counterfeit opioid pills

Taking prescription opioids for longer periods of time or in higher dosages can increase the risk of opioid addiction, overdose, and death

The national opioid dispensing rate declined steadily from a rate of 46.8 opioid prescriptions dispensed per 100 persons in 2019 to a rate of 39.5 opioid prescriptions dispensed per 100 persons in 2022

However, the amount of opioids in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) prescribed per person is still around three times higher than it was in 1999

The states with the highest opioid dispensing rates were the Southern states

The number of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in 2021 has increased by 10x the amount from 1999

The rate of opioid overdose deaths are variable among the states, but the highest concentration of deaths straddles the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions

There are many reasons why the death rate varies among the states, including socioeconomic status, availability of treatment, and availability of illicit drugs

West Virginia has the highest opioid overdose death rate among all 50 states

The SAMSHA National Survey classified individuals as having received substance abuse treatment if they received treatment in an inpatient location; in an outpatient location; via telehealth; or in a prison, jail, or juvenile detention center.

Among individuals 12 and older, about 24% (or 13.1M) of people who needed treatment actually received it

Outpatient drug programs are typically much cheaper than residential programs, but don’t provide constant supervision